GOES 14

GOES 14 is an active satellite operated by NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) (United States), launched on 2009-06-27 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After 17 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,824 km and 35,840 km with an inclination of 1.7°. It travels at approximately 11,064 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. It is part of the Goes constellation group. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Orbital Radar tracks GOES 14 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GOES 14 occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 1.7°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of GOES 14’s average altitude, there are currently 687 active payloads and 57 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 137 share a similar altitude band with GOES 14.